Alternatives
by CynicAlb
Summary: Meet Daniel Jackson and see all his alternate reality doubles including an evil one that will try to kill him. WIP stalled indefinitely sorry.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I wish they were but these characters are not mine and I don't make any money off them, much to my family's chagrin.

Alternatives

Season: Eight

Spoilers: All seasons and the Movie are up for grabs

Genre: Gen, with references to alternate realities where anything goes :D.

Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Drama, whumping.

Summary: What you want a summary after all that? How about Daniel meets Daniel, and Daniel and Daniel? Get it?

"How are you not dead right now?" The voice echoed around his mind, as consciousness returned.

"It doesn't matter," Daniel said to himself and turned automatically to the man he knew was standing over him, "Help me up." Jack leaned over and grabbed his friend's hand they both stood looking around. Daniel squinted things were kind of fuzzy without his glasses but one thing was clear this wasn't his room. "Where are we?" Jack looked worried.

"You don't remember?" he thought he saw fear in the question.

"I remember starting to Kel nor reem in my room, then I woke up here." He frowned looking around again; it was a plain room, no window, concrete walls and no furniture to speak of. The door was a particularly well, wrought piece of metal, and looked very secure. "Where is here anyway?"

"I dunno," said Jack with a shrug, "I just woke up here too. 'cept I don't remember falling asleep."

"Has anyone said anything, have you seen anyone?"

"Nope, ain't nobody here, but you and me Danny boy."

"You're taking this rather well."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean whenever we get caught, you're usually climbing the walls looking for a way out."

"I know the way out." Said Jack "it's right there." He pointed to the door.

"Funny, now what are we going to do?"

"There's nothing to do Daniel, except wait, what I'm wondering is why you were Kel nor reeming alone in your room, don't you do that stuff with Teal'c as a bizarre bonding thing?" Daniel snorted, "That's mature."

"Jack, I have to Kel-nor-reem now, remember, P2X E39?"

"Daniel, what the hell are you talking about? You haven't been off world in weeks! And certainly not to E39 what with those funky weapons the probes picked up there."

"How do you think we found out about those weapons Jack? I got hit coming through the gate, and now I need to Kel nor reem to reach REM sleep because the weapons disrupt the natural electronics of the human body, Janet explained all this just last week."

"Daniel, that is not funny, you know damn well Frasier's been dead over a year!"

"That's not true I talked to her not an hour before I began to Kel nor reem; she told me that she and Cassie are going to see a play tonight, Much Ado About Nothing."

"This is not nothing, Daniel, I'm starting to think you're delusional."

"Oh, I'm delusional Jack! Why can't it be you that's delusional? I'm not the one with a history of mental illness!"

"That's a low blow Daniel! Especially coming from you what about Nick?"

"What about him?"

"He's spent the last twenty years of his life in a mental hospital."

"How the hell do you know about that?"

"You're really starting to scare me now, we met Nick remember? When we found that crystal skull?"

Daniel lifted his shirt and showed Jack the scar there "What the hell?" Jack mumbled, "This is wrong, I've never seen that scar before."

"Well you should remember you gave this to me, a year ago when we went after the crystal skull, an energy field engulfed me and you shot the skull to pieces, one of them hit me here." He pointed to the scar.

"That's not how it happened." said Jack.

"It is for me. You've never met Nick Jack."

"I'm getting that alternate reality feeling."

"Well obviously," said Daniel running his fingers of his stomach. "But it doesn't make sense."

"And any of this does?" asked Jack a little perturbed.

"Do you remember touching a mirror or anything similar that could have brought you here?" Jack shook his head. "Then somehow we've been brought here, for some reason." They were silent a moment as both men gathered themselves.

"Well, finally!" They jumped startled by the sudden appearance of another man in the room, he was dressed in black from head to toe, a balaclava covered his face and he wore thick gloves. "Although," He said "You didn't have as big of a hint as the others."

"Who are you?" asked Jack.

"What others?" asked Daniel simultaneously; the other man just smiled blue eyes shone out through the mask he wore.

"Some things are almost constant." He shrugged, "Of course I'm the exception to the rule." He pulled off the mask to reveal what Daniel had already figured out.

"You're me." He said.

"Actually, no we're both possible forms of each other."

"So how are we different?" He paused, "Besides the obvious?" Daniel motioned to his double's face where a scar intercepted his left eyebrow and another pink line healed just below his chin. The doppelganger smiled.

"I guess you're of the non military me's then." He said.

"You're military?" cried Jack and Daniel together.

"Major, in the Air force actually." He shrugged. "It was either this or Juvenile detention. It really helped me straighten myself out." Jack's eyebrows were up in his hair line.

"So we're from different realities?"

"Yes,"

"Why are we here? Where is here for that matter?"

"We're in a kind of weigh station, a void between realities if you will, and I'm conducting something of a study of myself."

"How did you bring us here?"

"Quite easily, this is a research facility I stumbled on it seems the Ancients were studying different realities too, the equipment here allows me to pull me from other universes, without the risk of entropic cascade failure."

"Then why am I here?" asked Jack.

"My Jack leaned on the console, when I was probing your reality I usually start at the SGC and work my way out but invariably the realities where we know each other we're together."

"Together?"

"Close proximity, I know my Jack's waiting outside the door to hear what's going on and make sure you don't try and jump me or anything." The other Daniel snorted.

"I can see my Jack doing that too, only I think mine would have already come in and done a risk assessment." Jack frowned.

"I've not been like that with Daniel for years, not since before his ascension, I got the feeling he resented it, so I backed off a bit let him have some space go off world with other teams."

"You let him go alone!" both Daniels cried in disbelief.

"I don't have much choice anymore, not since the promotion."

"He got promoted?"

"No I did he's not military."

"That would make you a…."

"General."

"Wow, Jack a General mine just got promoted to full Colonel."

"I was a full Colonel before I was even on the Stargate program."

"Hmm, not sure he'll like that." Daniel frowned and pulled a control from his black cargo pants, "I'm going to send you back before my Jack comes barging in and hurts you." Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Hurts me?" Maj. Jackson nodded and pushed a button on the control. "Bye Jack, tell Daniel I'll see him soon." His smile didn't reach his eyes. Jack froze to the spot, as the Major grabbed his doppelganger by the neck. There was a cold look on that familiar face, when the neck snapped and the body went limp.

"Daniel," Jack gasped as he sat up in bed, awareness coming to him in steps as he realized first he was in bed, and second it was familiar but not his own bed. "It was a dream," he said to himself as the infirmary came into focus along with it the slumped form sat in one of the legendary plastic infirmary chairs. Though much to his surprise the form was of his former 2IC Lt Colonel Samantha Carter, not that he didn't appreciate her being there, but after that awful dream, he really needed to see that his friend was all right.

"Carter," he croaked, the woman started.

"Sir, you're awake." She smiled and stood up, "I'll get the nurse."

"No, Sam where's Daniel?" She stiffened at the question. "What is it what happened?"

"You were missing sir," said Sam evasively, "You vanished in the middle of briefing SG 12, Daniel found you in his office two hours ago, he called for a medical team, but no one's seen him since."

* * *

I always wanted to write an evil Danny fic, the alternate reality thing just got stuck in my head, let me know if you liked it. Thanks 


	2. Chapter 2

"It wasn't a dream," Jack cringed as the cold look Maj. Jackson had given him while snapping his double's neck. It was the icy and emotionless, expression he associated with mass murderers and battle hardened vets, but definitely not a look he'd ever believed could be on the face of his intensely passionate and violence abhorrent friend.

"What wasn't a dream?" Asked Sam her face a mask of concern. "Do you remember what happened? We thought it was the Asgard, but Thor said he had no ships in the area. What do you remember?" Jack looked down at his hands, still shocked by the images replaying through his mind.

"It was Daniel."

"But Daniel was here."

"Not our Daniel, another one, two actually."

"Two Daniels?"

"It's an alternate reality thing."

"But how it that possible?"

"The one who took us, told me it was some kind of dimensional void, a weigh station between realities, the Ancients set up a lab there and he somehow managed to stumble across it. He said he was conducting a study of himself."

"Then how did you end up there?"

"My counter part leaned on the button apparently." Sam smiled faintly, but stopped when she saw her CO's face.

"What happened sir?"

"He killed him."

"Who?"

"Daniel," Jack cringed.

"You're counter part killed Daniel?" Sam looked shocked.

"No!" said Jack, "Would you let me explain?" Sam looked abashed but nodded. "I was in a room," he said, "No furniture, no windows, and one door that never opened. Daniel was there, sat on the floor cross legged, mumbling to himself. He woke up, and told me he had been Kelnorreeming because he got hit by a weapon on E39 that stopped him from being able to reach REM sleep. I thought it was weird, he thought I was delusional, I brought up Nick, but for him we'd never met Nick and we figured out we were from alternate realities. Then the other one showed up." Jack shuddered. "Then the other one showed up told us about this place, he wore a mask at first but then he took it off he introduced himself as Major Daniel Jackson." Sam's eyebrows rose in interest at that tit-bit. "Seems that Daniel joined the Air Force to avoid juvenile detention. The other one was more like our Daniel, curious about the differences fascinated by the alternates relationship with his Jack. Apparently in most of the realities where Jack O'Neill knows Daniel Jackson they're usually in close proximity to one another. So I got pulled in because Daniel was off doing whatever it is Daniel does when I'm stuck in meetings all day. Neither of them could believe I let him go off world without me, then I told them about my promotion and the Major didn't sound pleased, he pulled out a remote and said he'd send me back before his Jack hurt me. He said he'd be back for my Daniel, and that's when he reached out for the other one and killed him."

"Killed?"

"He snapped his neck one handed."

"Holy Hannah!"

"I always knew Danny had a mean streak, but I never thought I'd see a look so cold on his face. Jesus, Carter it was like he was empty, his eyes, it was like looking into a black hole. The only thing worse than watching Daniel getting murdered is Daniel being the murderer."

"And this Major Jackson has Daniel now?"

"I think that's a likely assumption."

"But how do we save him?"

"I was hoping you knew."

Daniel turned from the wall to find he was no longer in his lab, but a plain room with no windows and only one door to speak of.

"What the hell?" He made a quick assessment frowned, tried the door and then stood behind it cleaning his glasses, in a thoughtful manner.

"You don't seem all that surprised to be here." Daniel looked up a man in black from head to toe had appeared from nowhere.

"If I were it wouldn't exactly behoove me to make it obvious to you would it?" Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "So what is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do you want?" Daniel enunciated himself clearly, "Are you NID, the trust?"

"No."

"Someone else wants to kill me?" He asked as he put his glasses back on.

"I'm not here to kill you." The man sounded amused and disconcerting familiar.

"Have we met, before?" Daniel asked stepping closer, the masked man didn't move.

"Not in the strictest of sense no, but in a way we are close, family even."

"That's weird; I don't remember any secret agents on the family tree, but then again all my relatives are dead, so I'll return to my original question what do you want?"

The man smiled behind his mask, perhaps, he thought, he'd finally found a counterpart with what he needed, there were still tests to make sure but this first meeting had gone well, this one had courage, yes most did, but where the others had courage in the face of fear this one seemed oblivious to it, almost welcoming the challenge offered by his capture. Yes, this one could be the one.

"I want you Daniel," he said finally, "and I want us to learn about each other."

"I don't understand," Daniel answered eyeing his captor suspiciously.

"Let me help you," He removed his mask to reveal the familiar face of Daniel Jackson.

"Why, the hell, not?" Jack banged his fist on the table as Sam came in, he held up a finger for her to be quiet. "This is not a request Sergeant, it's an order I want that thing crated up and shipped here yesterday, is that clear?" A voice echoed through the room from the speaker phone.

"Yes, sir." Jack pushed a button on the phone and motioned for Sam to sit down.

"News?" he asked.

"All bad I'm afraid, none of our off world allies have ever encountered an alternate reality in the ways we have they've never even heard of an inter-dimensional weigh station. And they'd only heard of the quantum mirror technology in passing, a few vague legends of a race that studied other worlds that were their own." Jack went cross eyed, "Their words not mine. It's another way of saying other universes."

"Right. Yeah, I err, found out where Hammond stashed our mirror and it'll be here sometime tomorrow." Jack frowned trying to catch his train of thought, "They err, they welded a big ol' iris to that thing after last time. I don't know how much good it's going to do."

"It's the only lead we have at the moment; if you hadn't been taken by mistake we wouldn't even have that."

"Yeah, that other Daniel's Jack is probably having a really bad day right about now." Sam winced. "But, it's like Teal'c said, ours is the only reality of consequence."

"Major Dan Jackson. SG2; at your service," The double bowed sarcastically.

"SG2?"

"It was the only way I could get command; Hammond refused to give SG1 to anyone lower than Colonel."

"So Jack recommended you for SG2 instead of Kowalski?"

"Kowalski, that load? Ra got him on the first pass in Abydos, it was a good job I managed to convince Jack to follow orders and set off that bomb before things got any worse."

"You set off the bomb? You destroyed Abydos?" Daniel stared at the man who wore his face, "How could you do that what about Sha're?"

"Sha're never heard of her." Dan shook his head, "Besides you destroyed Abydos too, I checked."

"No Abydos was destroyed much later, by Anubis after I ascended."

"No shit? You ascended? But you're so like me, if it weren't for the non-military hair, I'd swear I was looking in the mirror."

"The fun house variety maybe." Dan laughed, Daniel looked suspicious.

"Let me show you how rare a commodity we are in the vastness of the multi-verse." The Major put an arm around Daniel's shoulder and they turned towards the wall a second later they found themselves in a long corridor with barred doors stretching to the end.

"Where are we?" asked Daniel looking around and shrugging off the major's arm.

"This is the real fun house." Dan stepped over to one of the doors, "this one's a real sad case," he looked back a Daniel, "Come take a look," Daniel reluctantly stepped up to the door, Dan leaned over to whisper. "I pulled him out of an agency psyche-ward; Jack visited him everyday, for the first year, but after Teal'c died." He trailed off shaking his head. Daniel peered through the gap in the bars. The familiar sandy brown mop, sat huddled in the corner.

"Machello, Jack it was Machello, I'm not crazy not crazy, no drugs, no drugs, no more drugs, please Jack. Please."

"Well, he's half right." Whispered Dan, "He wasn't crazy until they upped the dosage and Jack stopped calling. Kinda sent him over the edge." Daniel glanced back at the Major beside him.

"You don't seem all that sorry."

"He's one of the lucky ones."

"What do you mean?" Dan once again put his arm across Daniel's back, as a gesture to follow.

"You really don't know how lucky you are, do you?" Daniel eyed the hand but allowed it to remain. "Of the hundreds of realities I've studied, barely half of the Daniel Jacksons even made it to adulthood, let alone become involved with the Stargate Program." As he spoke Major Jackson lead them down the corridor, cries and wails for help, followed them, a few threw themselves at the bars yelling and screaming.

"Get out!" screamed one, "Run while you can!" cried another. None of it seemed to faze the Major in anyway as he continued his monologue. "I myself was on the slippery slope of troubled teenage-hood, until I was caught and forced to focus my attention on something constructive."

"Oh, I never had that problem." Said Daniel faintly, looking back at all the doors in passing.

"Yeah, I noticed, you're one of the academic types, even kept the glasses after all this time. Though you have bulked up." He said moving the hand up to the shoulder. "Must be Teal'c's influence." He shrugged, "I killed the Teal'c in my reality."

"What how?"

"Lucky shot when Apophis came calling the first time. It was a good thing I went down to check on the weekly poker game right then. But I'll tell you I was shocked that in a handful of realities the dumb Jaffa switched sides."

"It's a shame; Teal'c is a good friend and a strong ally in the fight against the Goa'uld."

"He was also a weakness,"

"How do you know?"

"I know we used the symbiote poison to deal the system lords a crippling blow, without regard to the Jaffa."

"That's genocide!"

"That's war." He smiled vaguely without mirth. "Here we are," They were stood in front of another door. This door was unlike the others in that it was solid.

"What's this?"

"I would like you to meet someone."

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?"

"Probably," Said Dan as he pulled out a small remote control, "Because you won't. You remember the Touched don't you?" He smiled as he pressed the button.


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel opened his eyes slowly, he ached all over. Then the pain that had awoken him ceased and he looked down at a needle prick in his arm.

"It's okay," said a familiar voice.

"Jack?" he whispered hoarsely. A blurred face hovered over him and smiled sympathetically.

"Sort of." He handed Daniel his glasses, and the world was brought into focus. He was in what a presumably a small medical lab.

"You're his Jack?" Daniel eyed him incredulously. Jack looked flabbergasted.

"Oh, well you could put it like that, I guess." He smiled depreciatingly at his shoes. "I wouldn't," he muttered darkly then looked up suddenly, "but if you mean are we from the same reality yeah, we are."

"What happened?" Daniel asked sitting up a bit on what he assumed was an exam table. Jack smiled.

"You passed his test, it was touch and go there for a while; he thought you might be one of the pacifist ones. But once you started fighting back you did pretty well." Jack gave him a chuck on the shoulder. "Lasted longer than the others at any rate," he muttered under his breath. Daniel wasn't sure he was supposed to have heard the last comment so he chose not to address it, but he filed that little nugget away for later; there had been others. Instead he chose to address the empty needle that O'Neill for this was not Jack was holding.

"What's that?" he asked gesturing, "What did you give me?" O'Neill looked surprised like he'd forgotten what he'd been doing before.

"Oh," he said, quickly putting the needle away, "just some anti-histamine, a precaution in case what already in your system wasn't enough."

"Anti-histamine?" Daniel stared. "You know how to cure him and you let him stay in there like that?"

"He's better off," said O'Neill gruffly. The voice of experience thought Daniel.

Jack was climbing the walls, they had nothing. The mirror was in transit that was all he could do, Carter was running theoretical models to ease her frustration, but Jack had a feeling it was all busy work to keep from dwelling on the possibility that no one wanted to say aloud. Daniel could already be dead.

The door to the room opened, Daniel had been led by O'Neill to a small bunk room and had been sleeping off the pain killers for sometime. He didn't need to look to see that Major Dan had come to check on him.

"You did well," he said quietly sitting on the bed.

"I defended myself," said Daniel into his arm. He pulled back he could still smell the touched.

"Well it's about time one of me had a back bone!" Dan laughed. "I was beginning to think I was the only one." He put his hand on Daniel's shoulder.

"The only one what?"

"The only one like me."

"I'm not like you Major," he shrugged off the hand. "And if I even suspected I was I'd asked Jack to shoot me."

"Fair enough," said Dan raising his hands in submission. "But you know as well as I do that's in you. You already proved that with our evolutionary challenged friend in there. You are a killer Daniel, just like me." He squeezed his shoulder and left without a backwards look. Daniel curled up on his side and tried to banish the images that had been haunting him since he woke up.

The smell was the worst he hadn't been able to bathe after it happened so he could still smell his sweat and blood on him. He shuddered; the memory of where his double touched him made his skin crawl even more. Jack had taught him how to fight that was the deal for staying on the team. It wasn't as if he was starting from scratch growing up in Egypt, in the foster system and spending most of his young adulthood on digs in Africa and south America, it stood to reason he already had a bit of basic survival knowledge.

Jack treated him like a small child showing him blocking and throwing techniques. Daniel let him for a while, but after a few weeks of slow and easy he thought he'd clue Jack in on the latent talents of Daniel Jackson. Daniel smiled; he'd knocked Jack on his ass. A fake-grab-throw combo a hand on a dig taught him when some of the local mercenaries had decided they like the look of the 'pretty American boy'. He hadn't told Jack that though. Daniel smiled in spite of himself or maybe it was the painkillers. Contrary to popular belief Daniel did have a life before the Stargate and in truth the archeologist was never all that harmless; he couldn't have survived otherwise.

His heart dropped; he'd done what he had to, to survive always had and yet this time, this time it felt wrong. It was a set up from the start and the Major hadn't expected him to survive and now he was half wishing he hadn't. The sounds of machinery above and the drugs still soaking his system allowed him to be lulled into a fitful sleep at last.

Sam stared off into space tears threatened but wouldn't fall; she wouldn't allow it. Not yet; not until she was sure but she would never be sure, not until it didn't work on the day she died would she give up on her friend. The mirror stared back at her flat grey and lifeless as it had always been. After they'd saved her alternate self and her reality Hammond had ordered the mirror destroyed, but it was never that easy, they'd tried everything short of a nuclear bomb nothing touched it, so they did what most military organizations do with objects they can't control or destroy, they forgot it existed.

The plate welded over the top was easily removed she'd spent the last four hours hooking it up to every piece of diagnostic equipment known to science and come up with nothing. It had a low level electrical output, but nothing really dramatic. They'd tried jump starting it and tried exposing it to different kinds of energy hoping one of them was on the same frequency as the remote they didn't have.

"Work damn-it!" She cried throwing her pencil at the offending rock. Yes rock, she thought with venom. "You hear that, Daniel? I'm going to call it a rock until you come in here and correct me!"

"Looks like a rock to me." Sam spun around at the sound, she gasped in shock. There he was leaning against the doorway wearing olive fatigues arms folded across his chest, looking smug with a little smile across his face.

"Daniel?" She threw herself at the man in relief, but drew back in surprise. "You're the other one." She said a statement not a question, she knew this wasn't her Daniel. The hair and scar could be over looked, but when she looked in to his eyes they were cold as ice.

Major Dan smiled but it didn't touch his eyes.

"I wish my Sam would give me that kind of greeting." He said taking a step into the room. "Of course, that would mean she stopped hating me." He shrugged brushing off the thought as nothing. He examined her openly looking her up and down. "I must say," He said thoughtfully, "I think I prefer the short hair. It make you look more dangerous." He smiled when he said that. Stepping closer and licking his lips he said, "Let's you and me play a game huh, Sammie?" Sam stepped further back, trying to keep the distance in the small lab.

"What have you done with Daniel?" she asked trying the regain control.

"Aww, I'm touched." He said smiling coldly, "no wait that was him." Sam narrowed her eyes, but she didn't rise to the bait. "He's alive, mostly." Dan shrugged. "For now at least; he's fun to watch, so I'm keeping him for a bit." Sam bit her lip.

"What do you want?"

"Okay there's the Sam I know and love!" Sam scowled at him.

"Why are you here?" Dan grinned.

"Well," he said very excited, "thanks to the little Jack snafu I've decided to give you a little progress report, it might help you accept your role in our little game here."

"You think this is a game?"

"Oh, definitely and a fun one too; okay here;" he handed her a disk. "This is an encrypted a video disk of your Daniel's first trial. Don't worry he passed. If you can decrypt it in the time allotted there's a clue as to what comes next at the end." Dan turned to go. "Oh, and that thing?" he pointed to the mirror. "Is useless, but you don't need to worry, I'll give back what's left when I'm through." He left the room and was gone.

Jack nearly had a heart attack, he could have sworn he saw Daniel leaving Carter's lab, but when he blinked the man was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

"It's not pretty sir." Said Sam turning from the monitor to Jack seated at the briefing room table.

"Just get on with it Carter." He said scrubbing a hand over his face. Daniel had been missing for over 30 hours now and this video was the only clue they had. Sam just nodded and clicked the screen. The room was dark, but the feed soon turned to infrared and in the green a hue a figured could a be seen crouched in the corner. There was a flash and suddenly there was a man in the room his back to the camera.

The Touched went nuts with the light throwing himself at Daniel. He dodged and ducked keeping his arms out in a defensive posture. It was then he noticed his opponent had a weapon, a crudely a fashioned club that he swung randomly. It was hard to block the blows because it was so dark and the light from the corridor was still flashing in his eyes. But luckily Teal'c had taught him few things about fighting blind.

"You must use all your senses DanielJackson you are never blind to an attack even if you can't see it coming." Daniel dodged another blow and backed himself into a wall. He raised his arms to block and felt the club crack across his forearm. It's not broken he thought, dodging another onslaught and rolling passed the creature further into the room. But that really hurt, he panted out of breath but the Touched kept coming, kept swinging at him and kicking him as he stumbled across the floor. The room was small no where to run, to stop catch his breath. Then he saw it, his eyes accustom to the gloom, a knife in the corner, without thinking he grabbed for it reaching out slashing blindly as the touched raised his club once more. The creature backed off his arms taking the bulk of the knife wounds. Then he screamed in fury and pain and Daniel knew what was next and got ready for it. Holding the knife in his good hand he knelt up in a crouch head-down and waited.

Jack gasped when he saw Daniel's position on the video. He knew what it took for his friend to assume that stance to make the conscious choice to…he couldn't even bring himself to think it so he watched. Daniel was still in his crouch and the Touched was advancing on him quickly. The move that Daniel had balked at learning was simple and effective. A strike while the enemy thinks you're in a bad position. He watched Daniel push up as the Touched came within range bringing his knife with him and plunging it into the creature's body. There was a flash of light and the picture went to snow.

After a few seconds the snow flickered and someone's neck came into view the neck backed off to reveal Daniel or rather Jack realized the other Daniel. Major Dan smiled at them on the screen. Sam looked surprised.

"I didn't see this part before."

"Hello, Sammie!" he waved joyfully, "I knew you could do it! There's never been an encryption you couldn't crack. Hello General Jack!" His smile was big and fake. "You know my Jack's still a little pissed that you're a general and he barely made it to colonel. Between you and me, I think I got the short end of the Jacks." He cleared his throat and stood more to attention. "For those of you who don't know, I am Major Dan Jackson-Carter." He saluted and Sam's jaw dropped. "Did I catch you out there Sammie? Or should I say sis? Yes that's right; Jacob and Sylvia Carter adopted one Daniel Jackson shortly after his parents were killed in a museum accident at age 6. Boy, wasn't Dad an asshole? I must say I'm shocked so many of you went military and so few of me did. But anyway I digress, as you saw our Dr Jackson is doing very well I was actually beginning to think that it was dear old Dad's influence that gave me such a taste for blood, but look at that it is genetic just buried inside. Well he is an archeologist I guess we'll just have to do some excavation." Daniel smiled at the camera, "but anyway, I've decided to take advantage of the little Jack swap and give you guys a chance to get him back alive, this is contingent on him staying alive throughout so you'll have to consider if it's worth the effort. Here are the terms: If you fail and he survives, I keep him, if you fail and he dies I'll send you the body, if you succeed and he dies you get the body, and if you succeed and he survives I'll send you whatever's left breathing; deal?" He offered his hand, "good. Here is your first task…." The video faded to snow again but just then there was a flash of light on the table and a package appeared, a note affixed to the top. Jack snatched the note.

"This is a bomb," he read, "anyone leaves the room it goes off. You have two hours."

Major Dan smiled at his monitor; they really must care for him, he thought as he switched the set off. How is that possible?

"Jack," he called knowing the sniveling half-man that wore O'Neill's face was lurking nearby.

"What is it Major?"

"Prepare to return all the subjects we're approaching the time limit and I have to know if he's the one soon." Jack nodded and left without a word. Dan picked his nails absently; rubbing his palms together he fingered small scars down his wrists, thin white lines that bisected the veins impossible to hide unless he wore long sleeves.

"You're one of the lucky ones." Dan smiled faintly as he leaned against the door frame in Daniel's room.

"How so?" asked his doppelganger on the bed sitting up carefully. The painkillers had long since worn off and now his body was a study in aches and pains.

"You got two years longer than I did." Daniel frowned. "The cover-stone fell at age six for me." Daniel closed his eyes in understanding. "I bet you even remember what they were like."

"They were good people," he said quietly, "at least mine were."

"See? All the breaks; more time with them meant that by the time you were in New York, the Carters had already moved."

"Carter? Sam?"

"Ahh, Sammie, my big sister always trying to keep me out of trouble. That worked out so well didn't?"

"Why are you doing this?" Daniel was exhausted; the whole thing was far too much to take in.

"This is just a big game of what if Danny; it's lots of fun…"

"...and totally pointless. Look I don't know which dark corner of our psyche you crawled out from but if we're anything alike you have to have some compassion in there let these others go they're obviously no danger to you."

"That's the problem with you academics, always to fucking self-righteous and self sacrificing. For your information I did release the others."

"You, you did?" Dan smiled.

"They served their purpose."

"What purpose?"

"Doesn't matter, what matters is; are you ready?" Daniel stood up a little impatient.

"What are you," Daniel stopped. "doing?" he was no longer in his cell but outside in the woods.

"Carter any time now." Jack tapped his watch. "Do you know how many meetings I've missed?" She glared at the General from her position atop the table lay supine beside the box.

"It's goa'uld." She said sitting up and laying aside the 'tools' she'd managed to scrape up. The screwdriver and unbent paperclip clattered to the desktop.

"It's what? How can you tell?" As answer Sam carefully peeled back the wrapping to reveal a small gold box covered hieroglyphs. "Great," said Jack "the instructions for turning it off are probably written on the box. Now, where did I put my Egyptian for Dummies?"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N sorry for the long update time, I was blocking a little on where I wanted to go with this, but I think it's flowing fairly well, now.

Questions/comments are always welcome.

* * *

Daniel Jackson lay in the middle of the clearing his eyes were closed but his steady breaths showed that he was alive. After a moment a groan issued from the man; not one of pain but of frustration. He opened his eyes sat up and looked around.

"I can't believe this," he muttered around a few foreign but vehement epithets. He tried to stand up but found that his feet were bare and he was secured by the ankle to a large branch in the middle of the clearing. "Great," he said with a grimace tugging on the rope, "wonderful." He began untying in earnest picking at the knots, all the while muttering about his perfect situation. A twig snapped in the forest with a loud CRACK! Birds flew off in the distance and Daniel's head whipped around to stare into the gloom of the forest a sharp contrast to the bright summer day surrounding him. "Is anyone there?" he called, not really expecting an answer. A shadow moved between the trees. "Who's there?" he called, trying to keep his growing concern from his voice. "This isn't funny." He said, then more to himself. "I definitely didn't agree to this."

John O'Neill sighed; he was bored incredibly utterly amazingly bored. He'd tried reciting standard recon procedure in his head, tried to remember the names of all the constellations he'd seen and the stars that made them up. He got as far as Hercules and remembered that was the one that Daniel told him cracked the code of the Stargate for him. This reminded him he was on another planet waiting outside a tent; waiting for Daniel, who was being shown their indoctrination techniques. Which in turned reminded the Colonel that he was bored.

John glanced back at the tent; Daniel had said something about these people being a fascinating mix of African tribal culture and Native American belief structure. How does all that stuff fit into his head? John checked his watch glanced over at Teal'c, who was also standing guard, the jaffa nodded it had been almost two hours and they needed to check in with Carter at the gate with SG-5 examining some energy readings. John raised his eyebrows and turned to the flap in the tent. He pushed on the opening and ducked inside.

"What the hell?" he cried to the empty tent. Teal'c followed him a second later.

"Where is Daniel Jackson?"

"That's what I'd like to know? This is the right tent, isn't it?

"Indeed we have not moved from our post nor have I noticed anyone entering or leaving." John was making the rounds of the small structure. The walls were intact and the ground was disturbed on a pattern that would suggest several persons sitting in a circle.

"Where did they go?" Just then the radio crackled into life.

"_This is Carter, Colonel are you there?"_

"I'm here, what's going on?"

"_We've been monitoring these energy readings coming from around the gate_,"

"Yeah, I know that. Carter we have a situation here."

"_A situation sir; I thought you were just talking to the village council."_

"Correction Daniel was talking to them, but now they're gone."

"_The council finished sir?"_

"No Carter the council and Daniel have vanished into thin air. Teal'c didn't even know they were gone."

"_They left sir, when?"_

"I couldn't tell you Carter, we were about ready to check in, so I went to check on Daniel and the tent is empty."

"_Could they have been gone more than an hour sir?"_

"It's possible Carter why?"

"_We recorded a large power spike about an hour ago."_

"Damnit Carter didn't you think I might like to know something like that?" There was nothing but static until Sam got back on the radio.

"Sorry, sir but the people there are basically primitive where technology is concerned the energy is centered here we didn't think it was a concern to you."

"Yeah well tell that to Daniel when we find him."

Daniel sat back to survey his handy work, he'd managed to find, or rather his foot had managed to find a sharp rock on the ground near where he was tied. He then used it to cut the knots on the ropes around his ankle. Now he was free, Daniel paused to consider his situation.

'The situation is you're screwed.' said a small voice inside of him and in part Daniel couldn't help but agree, he was on another planet with no idea where the Stargate was, no GDO so that even if he did have his bearings it made the Stargate near useless not to mention the no food water or shoes part of the equation. A strong breeze rustled through the clearing. And no jacket he thought rubbing the shivers out of his arms. 'What do you have?' He asked himself. 'I have a rope and a sharp rock; I have a few more hours of daylight and a cut on my right foot thanks to said rock.' He looked around and spotted what he needed, 'I have a tall tree with low branches.'

The tree stretched up above the canopy of the forest and after a few minutes and a painful slip onto a knot he was up the tree and looking out at the surrounding area. Out in the distance he could see a stream glistening in the sunlight and a little further than that a tiny circle sat on the horizon.

"I just let him go in there alone!" cried John frustrated beyond reason. How could he have fallen for the 'we'll show you our sacred ritual routine'? It was the oldest line the book; he must be loosing his edge.

"Daniel Jackson was in no danger from the elderly gentlemen that accompanied him into that tent, O'Neill and he also believed he would not come to harm."

"But still!" he clenched his fists itching to lash out at something anything.

"Indeed." said Teal'c echoing his leader's sentiment.

Daniel was tired; bone tired, and his feet were becoming an issue. Though he'd made good time getting to the river, he was still concerned about his situation;

'The situation? Jees, Jackson understatement of the century or is this just becoming disconcertingly normal to you?' Daniel scooped water up into his hands and tasted its cool sweet flavor. He wished he had a canteen to take him the rest of the way, but it seemed that this test was to be performed sans amenities.

John circled the tent; there was nothing. Not a kicked over rock not a bent blade of grass nothing to indicate that anything had been around there recently.

"O'Neill!" the Jaffa's loud and sonorous call brought the Colonel back to the entrance to the tent.

"What? What is it?"

"The council has returned." Teal'c stepped aside to show that as he'd said the council of elders that Daniel had been meeting with was once again in the tent except they were all unconscious and lay on top of one another in the middle of the room.

"Hey!" cried Jack, "Where'd they come from?"

"I do not know, but Daniel Jackson is not among them." John started into the tent as the men began to rouse.

"Yo, Tuba, head chief guy." John helped the eldest council member, Uba'ula and the guy that Daniel had been talking to in very rapid excited run on sentences. The old man looked puzzled. "Hey what happened? Where's Daniel? Daniel you know young guy about yay tall, wears glasses." Uba'ula blinked slowly and looked up at Jack.

"The young one was taken and we sought to recover him before you knew."

"Taken? Where?"

"We don't know, our power is limited, we were there only seconds I saw the young one and his brother the one whose eyes are dark and cold. I fear for Daniel in the presence of this reflection of his soul." The man shuddered and said no more, in fact none of the council would speak to them after that, they spent the rest of the day and into the night chanting mournfully in a language that neither John nor Teal'c could understand, but from the voices and the sobs they figured they were better off not knowing.

Daniel plodded on, at the river he slept a while tied to the branch of a tree in case of predators, but it was so uncomfortable that he'd barely drifted off when he was jerked awake again by the throbbing for his feet in time with his right arm and head. He drank his fill of water and cleaned his feet. He used strips cut off his shirt to bind them and at least provide a little protection to the soft soles. The moons were high in the sky now, and Daniel was beginning to wonder what the point of this particular test was, endurance sure, but a look at his field record would confirm that. Major Dan wanted something from him and damned if Daniel knew what it was.

The questioned begged, why go to the Stargate at all, that's what he'd expect and yet what else was there to do? If the 'gate was active on this world then there would be people, and people were usually a good thing to have when in need, usually.

John, Sam and Teal'c sat around the camp fire. No one said anything what was there to say? Daniel was gone, not dead or, ascended or any of the other million things that Daniel Jackson had been in his life and times as a peaceful explorer for the planet earth, no he was just gone. There was no trail to follow no bad guys to question just the story of an old man who said he'd been taken to a place with his brother who had no soul in his eyes.

"John," said Sam as she gestured wildly over his should behind him, "look there's something in the woods." Teal'c looked over the direction she was mentioning, and his eyes widened in surprise. The man staggered forth from the woods clearly out of breath and teetering on the brink of exhaustion. He frowned at the gathering a few feet from him.

"Jack?" he asked confusedly and collapsed.

"Daniel Jackson?" called Teal'c striding towards his friend.

"Did he just call me Jack?" asked John handing a med-kit to Teal'c.

"I think he did," said Sam with a frown, at Daniel feet. "His feet are pretty cut up; he must have been walking barefoot for sometime."

"Ahh, crap Danny what's being going on with you now?" Daniel heard the familiar voices around him, and though a distant part of him told him they were not his family, his exhausted body and mind simply said, 'Close enough.'

* * *

You all got that he's been dumped in an alternate universe right? Oh good, I was afraid I was being vague. CynicAlb 


	6. Chapter 6

John watched the monitor blip the rhythm of his friend's heart and tried to justify his condition with the man he'd seen only hours earlier.

"It doesn't make sense." He said staring at the placid face partially obscured by scratches and deep shadows under his eyes. "A night in the woods just does not do that to a person."

"You're right, Colonel it doesn't make sense." Janet Frasier picked up the chart at the end of the bed. "These readings indicate extreme exhaustion brought on by days of physical and emotional stress, but he hasn't been off world in three weeks and I know he's been sleeping okay." Jack squeezed her hand, "I just wish I knew what all this meant, he's lost his ring." She said pointing out Daniel's hand. "And what's more there's not even a tan line, John he never takes that thing off it's been over a year."

"We're dealing with an alien planet here, Jan we don't know what could have been done to him."

"I know but these things don't make sense, I mean look." She drew back the covers to reveal a small scar on Daniel's abdomen.

"What's that?"

"If I had to guess I'd say it's an appendix scar, but Daniel hasn't had his out."

"But that looks kind of old."

"Yeah, at least a few years, but as of Monday morning when you left he didn't have a scar there."

Daniel was floating, it was the familiar floating above his body in the infirmary feeling, and yet he knew when opened his eyes he'd be back on the lumpy mattress looking up into the worried faces of Jack and possibly Sam.

"Ow." He said, cringing at the bright lights.

"Danny? You awake?" Daniel raised his hand to his head to shield his eyes, but was surprised to find it covered in a bandage, he looked at it confused.

"You had a hairline fracture in your arm," said Janet easing his hand back to his side. "Can you open your eyes, sweetie? I need to check for a head injury." Daniel's eyes flew opened and he stared in shock at the doctor by his side.

"Janet?"

"I'm here, honey can you tell me what happened?"

"This isn't right,"

"What isn't right, Danny?" asked John a little concerned about his friend's reaction to his wife. "What happened in the woods?" Daniel glanced over the familiar face.

"Jack?" he asked, but the man before him frowned.

"No Danny, I'm John, John O'Neill. He was calling me that on the planet too." He said to a very worried looking Janet.

"John?" asked Daniel confused. "Not Jack?" then it clicked he remembered what had happened and he really didn't want these people involved in whatever he had to do.

"Who is Jack?" asked Janet as she pulled out her penlight. Oh Janet, why did she have to be here? It was hard enough to lose such a good friend to begin with let alone seeing her again here in this other place, alive and well. He cringed at the light in his eyes.

"Must you?" he asked irritable and scared.

"What happened to your arm Danny?" asked John.

"Touched." He said his mouth dry as he realized he'd have to convince these people he didn't belong here.

"What did you touch, Danny?"

"Nothing, it was a touched me." He frowned around the sentence, cringing at the thoughts of what he'd had to do to survive. "You know me?" he asked suddenly realizing something.

"Of course we know you, what kind of a question is that?"

"More appropriate than you know." He muttered, "Can I get a drink?" he asked and John handed him a beaker. "Thank you." he passed it back. "What happened?" he asked after a moment. John and Janet exchanged concerned looks.

"You don't know?"

"Some of it, but I need to know what you think happened."

"You were talking rituals with the head of the council and then you and the council were gone."

"Gone?"

"Puff, gone except the council came back talking gibberish about you being taken and them following and seeing you with your brother who is a dark reflection of your soul."

"That makes sense." said Daniel.

"Well, I wish you'd explain it to me."

"Did you find the quantum mirror here?" he asked, John raised his eyebrows.

"You know we did Daniel, one of Carter's doubles came through asking for asylum, but she died cos Carter's here."

"Entropic cascade failure."

"Yeah that."

"Okay, so I'm from an alternate universe."

"You are?"

"Yes,"

"So, how do you come to be here?" asked Janet sitting on the edge of his bed.

"One of my doppelgangers isn't a very nice guy. He kidnapped me and a lot of other versions of me to study."

"So why are you here, and where's our Danny?"

"You believe me?" John shrugged,

"You're story fits with what we've seen already, our Daniel never had his appendix out."

"So he went with you to fight the Replicators?"

"What are Replicators?" asked Janet.

"If you don't know, then you're better off." said Daniel with a shudder.

"Okay so how do we get you home kick your evil twin's ass and rescue our Daniel?"

"I don't know." Daniel paused. "Your Daniel, he was happy? Well adjusted?"

"Pretty much, why?"

"Major Dan collects the freaks of our collective genome."

"Freaks how?"

"I'm not sure how much of this has happened here, there was one who had gone crazy because of Machello's slimy bugs. Did you have those?"

"Yeah, but we figured it had to have something to do with the Linviris, because Danny's the most stable person I know."

"How did you get it out?"

"Teal'c gave him a hug and I saw something come out of Daniel and go into Teal'c. Eventually we figured out how to save him with the protein marker."

"Lucky him, I spent 72 hours in a padded room drugged to the nines before you guys visited and I finally made contact with Teal'c and it wasn't a hug." Janet patted his hand. "The guy Dan has was the same as me, except he didn't convince Mackenzie to call his O'Neill and when Teal'c died, his Jack stopped visiting and he really did go nuts."

"That sucks."

"I know."

"So who else does this Major Dan have?"

"You ever deal with the touched?"

"The land of the light, Tuplo?"

"Yeah, did you bring the virus back here?"

"Yeah, that was not a fun week, but the Doc here managed to figure it out in the end, with Danny's help of course he and Teal'c went back to the planet and got blood samples that helped find the cure."

"So he wasn't infected?"

"He had the allergy meds working for him. Didn't you?"

"For the first day or so, but I kind of went off them after they caught me on the way to the land of the light."

"You were alone out there?

"Until the cavalry came; it was not a fun time. I met the Touched me who wasn't cured that's who gave me this." He raised his arm. "He had this huge club and kept hitting me with it."

"How did you get away?"

"There was no getting away, just me and him in a room with little lighting. He had the club and I had a knife that I found on the floor."

"Since you're here I presume you won?"

"I killed him," he said flatly, "but I don't consider that winning." Tears pricked his eyes, and he was very surprised when Janet gathered him up in a huge hug.

"I'm sorry, you look so much like my Daniel and I couldn't bear to see you like that." She wiped the tears from his face, with a thumb and held it there. "It wasn't your fault it was this Major Asshole." Daniel laughed, and took her hand in his.

"I miss your sense of humor," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You died last year," he said quietly, "you and Cassie were part of my family with Jack, Sam and Teal'c. I miss you so much." Janet was crying now.

"Oh god, you don't even know do you?"

"Know what?"

"Danny and I have been married for a little over a year now." Daniel looked down at his hands still holding Janet's.

"I think I know why Major Dan sent me here."

"Why's that?"

"Because your Daniel Jackson has the perfect life." John coughed at that.

"I don't know about perfect, he's been through a hell of a lot; his family, his first wife."

"He still lost his parents?"

"Yeah, when he was twelve they were working a museum and the display collapsed on them."

"Did he see it?"

"No, he was at school at the time."

"I saw it happen, watched the chain snap before the cover-stone fell."

"Why weren't you at school?"

"I was eight; we'd only been in country a few weeks they would have gotten to it eventually."

"Damn, eight? But still…"

"But still he had four more years and no nightmares about falling cover-stones." Daniel blinked the tears away. "I spent eight years bouncing around the New York children's system before I went to a college prep program to start my career as a double PhD washout with no prospects." He laughed bitterly.

"God, Danny's not nearly so cynical."

"He has no reason to be. What happened to Sha're?"

"Sha're? She died seven years ago at the hands of Apophis." John was getting a little miffed at Daniel for depreciating the ordeals his friend had gone through in his life.

"She wasn't made host to Amonet?"

"No the snake preferred blondes, took the woman that pophie grabbed from the base, she's still out there."

"Amonet took Sha're and I spent three years searching for her. She died at Teal'c's hand as he saved me from being killed by Amonet's hand device."

"So you had hope, for longer than Danny did."

"Yes, I had hoped that I would get her back but I also had to live with the knowledge that she was living in a nightmare, trapped in her own body and being violated by Apophis and his queen." Jack shuddered.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, that's just the way it is. Your Daniel is a very lucky man it seems like he's dodged all the major angst in my life so far or at least got hit to a lesser extent."

"I guess this is just a lesson in perspective, I always thought that Danny's luck kind of sucked, but I guess he's better off than I thought."

"That's it!" cried Daniel, "the bastard!"

"Excuse me?" asked Janet.

"Major Dan, that's why he put me here he wants me to resent the life this Daniel Jackson has like he does me. He wants me to be like him." Daniel closed his eyes to the reality in which he was trapped. "Your Daniel is probably already dead." He said dully, "I'm sorry." He looked at Janet, who clamped a hand over her mouth and ran away to her office. He turned to John, who had paled slightly looking at the wall across the room. "I'm sorry, I wish there was someway I could get him back, but I don't even know how I got here."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I had to get back to what's happening with Jack and co. I hope it's not hard to follow.

* * *

"It's not a bomb." Said Sam finally as she pulled a knob on the front of the box. 

"Carter," warned Jack a little wary of the goa'uld device sat on the desk, courtesy of Daniel's Alternate.

"It's okay, sir watch," she released the knob and the box sprang open.

"What is it then?"

"It is a storage device O'Neill, quite harmless." Teal'c still dressed in his Chulak robes entered the room.

"Teal'c!" called Jack, "where've you been?"

"I was a few days walk from the Stargate when I received your message that Daniel Jackson was missing. What has transpired?"

"Well, Daniels been missing nearly two days, we finally met one of Daniel's alternate reality doubles and he's an asshole and Carter's just spent the last two hours trying to disarm a box. How's it going with you?"

"My son grows strong O'Neill and Bra'tac sends his regards."

"Well that's nice. Carter what's in the box?" Sam reached inside the container and pulled out another video disc.

The monitor lit up with snow for a few seconds and then the image of Major Dan came into view.

"Hello all; how are we today?" he waved, "A very warm welcome to a late comer in the game, Teal'c how are you? You look a damn sight better than my Teal'c, but that's not much of a contest seeing as he's dead and you have hair." There was silence for a second and Dan continued, "So, you may have guessed not really a test I just wanted to buy time until Teal'c got here. I know sentimental that I am Daniel has some very nice things to say about you T, so I thought it was only fair you get the chance to play for your friend's life."

"So why couldn't you have just contacted us later?" asked Jack, Sam started to tell him it was a recorded message, when the Jackson on screen answered.

"Where's the fun in that? I wanted to keep you on your toes, and judging by your Daniel's file. Yes, I peeked when I visited you earlier Sammie, it seems the dear Doctor has had quite an adventurous life. We're going to play win, lose or die it's my own invention." He buffed in his nails on his shirt.

"Just get on with it!" growled Jack.

"Now, now don't get testy, wasn't talking about you dying Jack, or any of you you're all safe. But Daniel isn't; none of them are. So here are the rules, I ask you questions on a theme, some will be to all of you some to just one of you. You have the choice to answer or not. If you answer and get it right, you get to see how the good doctor fairs on his journey, if you get it wrong things get worse for him."

"What happens if we choose not to answer?"

"Daniel will die."

"What the hell kind of choice is that?" bellowed O'Neill.

"Calm down, refusing to answer will not mean the death of your Daniel, but the demise of one of the others."

"Others?" asked Sam.

"The other Daniel's I have here. I've collected quite a few, all of varying sizes, shapes and mental faculties." His smile was cold. "It's really quite fascinating, to study all the different possible forms of myself, it really lends credence to the Nature vs. Nurture debate. Hey, Jack do you know how many of you actually had the guts to off yourself after Charlie?" Jack's face paled. "It was actually, way more than went the Abydos route. I was surprised to be honest, my Jack is such a wuss he didn't even consider the gun, was going for the drinking himself to death route before the Air Force came knocking. You know what the biggest shock of all is?" he paused for dramatic effect the pleasure he was taking in this torment evident on his familiar features. "It was Charlie himself, there was a less than 10 probability that he would walk away without picking up that gun. Those are pretty steep odds for a nine year old. You can't argue with destiny and through my research it was Charlie's destiny to pick up that gun and fire it. Course it's in question about what he'd hit. For some it was just the wall, others it was another body part a few of those survived too. There was this one I'll never forget where Charlie shot you, well not you, but the you that was there that you. That was screwed up kid. Like father like son huh Jack?" Jack had paled, and then slowly began to go red; his fists clenched tight trying desperately not to rise to the blatant goading.

"Major Jackson, you have veered off the subject entirely." Teal'c's low voice broke the tension in the room and Jack blinked himself back from the edge of his rage. "I believe I speak for those present when I say we do not wish to see any Daniel Jackson injured, nor killed, however continuing to provoke O'Neill will likely lead to the destruction of this communication device and we will be unable to play your game." The Daniel on screen smiled.

"You know Teal'c it's at times like these I'm almost sorry I killed you." Teal'c glowered, "but as you say time is wasting and we should get this show on the road. Here's your first question this is a group one so you can confer, and just so you know, if you refuse to answer this is the Daniel Jackson who will die." Dan pulled another familiar form into view. "Say hello to your only hope." Danny Jackson, worse for wear, waved his hand wedding band and all at the assembled group.

"John, if you can hear me, don't give him anything he's crazy he'll kill me anyway. Tell Janet I love her." Danny screamed in pain and fell out of view.

"This isn't a telethon," he said meanly glowering downward, he kicked out and there was a grunt from off screen. The people in the briefing room froze in horror. Dan turned back to the monitor. "Well, now you've seen what you're playing for let me give you your question. When this Daniel Jackson was infected by the Machello bug, his friends helped him through the dementia and 'schizophrenia'" he said complete with air quotes, "by sitting with him and talking to him and researching every possible explanation for the sudden 'psychological break' and ensuing hallucinations. Teal'c took the night shift got sick and the rest is history. The whole thing was wrapped up in, a day?" he asked looking down. Dan smiled from the monitor, "that was a yes." Jack sat stock still. "How long did it take for you to figure out that Daniel wasn't crazy and get that bug out of him?" Sam looked like she was about to answer, but Jack beat her to it.

"We didn't." said Jack.

"Excuse me?" asked Dan.

"We didn't figure it out, he saved himself. Teal'c got infected when we visited him in Mental Health and he fought through the drugs and confusion and figured it out himself." Dan smiled broadly.

"Correct. Yours is one of a handful of realities where Daniel was sent to the loony bin because of these things but one of only a few that made it out. Don't you feel proud?" he asked condescendingly. Jack just glared.

"He got it right," said Sam, "show us Daniel."

"Okay, that was an easy one, so just for a moment." The monitor flickered and focused on what looked like a clearing in a wood. Daniel lay on the ground in the middle then the picture went to snow.

"Hey," cried Jack, Sam looked stricken and Teal'c looked pensive. "What the hell did you do to him?" but Jack's question fell on deaf ears and text typed itself across the screen.

_Task two: Daniel was fostered by eight different families in the nine years he was a ward of the state. Name them all and tell me which one was he withwhen he gotinto the worst trouble of his life to that point._

_Maj. Jackson._

_PS you have 12 hours or Danny goes splat._

Daniel eased socks over his bound feet and decided to wait a second for the blood to stop pulsing before he tried the boots sitting beside him on the infirmary bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Daniel looked up there stood at the head of his bed was a very annoyed looking Janet Frasier.

"Getting dressed?" he said trying to sound innocent.

"Not you your life buster, get back in that bed."

"Buster?" he asked in disbelief.

"Don't change the subject; you've got head trauma bruised ribs a broken forearm..."

"Fractured," he muttered under his breath.

"…Dehydration, undernourishment and physical exhaustion. You're not going anywhere, end of story."

"Janet, I'm sorry I feel better and I need to be helping solve this, I need to get him back for you." It was a low blow and he knew it, he also knew that this world's Daniel Jackson stood very little chance of surviving Major Jackson's trials. Janet sighed and threw her hands up in defeat. Daniel raised up a foot to start putting his boots on, he was suddenly assailed by a memory of Jack telling him to put his shoes on in the temple at Kheb he smiled almost sadly those holes just kept filling bit by bit even years after his initial return to human form. Daniel tied his laces and stood up gingerly on his injured feet. He couldn't help but notice Janet stood across the room surreptitiously keeping an eye on him as he move slowly across the room. John appeared at the door as he was about to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked regarding the man wearing his friend's face imperiously.

"I thought I could help." said Daniel taking a step back.

"What is it you think you can do?"

"I don't know I was coming to ask what was being done."

"I came to see if you'd sit in on a debriefing Carter wants to know about the differences of your world and about this Major Dan character."

"I'll tell you what I can." John smiled.

"Let's get started."

Daniel sat at the briefing room table his eyes traveling over the faces of his teammates, who were not really his friends.

"From that sounds of it, everything we've been through with the exception of the Replicators and Kheb you've done too, only it seems you guys have better luck with the fall out. You stayed with Danny on Apophis' ship?" He asked John.

"Yeah, he told me about the sarcophagus and I told the others to go on ahead." John shrugged. "Why, what did your 'Jack' do?"

"He left me behind." Sam paled at the thought, and John closed his eyes with a shudder. "There was no other choice, I didn't think about the sarcophagus until later. I told him to leave because I thought he'd die anyway on the other ship when they succeeded in sabotaging it." He shrugged a little uncomfortable, "it worked out in the end though I got myself to the sarcophagus and gated home via the alpha site." John stared.

"If you were even half as hurt as Danny was…" he paused as his eyes traveled over Daniel's face. "You must be one stubborn sonofabitch." Daniel ducked his head.

"I was ready to die when I told Jack to leave, but when I realized there was a chance however remote, I figured it was better to die trying than to just lay down and give up." John nodded in acknowledgement and respect of the sentiment.

* * *

"What have you got Carter?" asked Jack as he walked into Sam's lab.

"Not too good sir." She turned to her monitor. "Daniel's background-check; while thorough in its search for possible security risks did not isolate any of the families that fostered him before he was sixteen. I've been trying to access the records of social services in New York but I'm not sure if they keep those records this long after a child has aged out of the system."

"Keep on it if there are any strings you want me to pull just let me know."

"Well, sir there is one thing, I managed to hack my way into some of the lower security files they're medical records and such but one of Daniel's entries has been deleted."

"Could it be a clerical error?"

"I don't think so, if that was it, it would have been changed to the correct information but this it's like there's a space in the file, it might be hidden or encrypted but it's just strange to me."

"Why's that?"

"Well it reeks of a cover up to me."

"Why would someone want to cover up one of Daniel medical records?"

"I don't know sir, but judging by the placement of the gap, something happened when Daniel was fifteen that someone doesn't want anyone to know about." Jack scratched a few notes on a post-it and pulled it off the pad.

"I'll see what I can do, meanwhile you get those names." Jack returned to his office and sat for a moment staring at a picture of SG-1 sat on his desk; it was taken at Daniel's welcome back party once he'd got his memory back. In the background a banner read 'Welcome back from the dead, don't ever do that again.' The photo was a candid shot Sam was whispering in Daniel's ear and he had a huge smile on his face. Teal'c sat on the floor at Daniel's feet cross legged and looking very serene. Jack came up behind the two scientists and at the moment his arms went around their shoulders the picture was snapped. Jack didn't even know who took it; it'd just been left on his desk a few days later with a ribbon tied around it.

"O'Neill." The low voice of the jaffa snapped Jack out of his haze.

"Oh, hey T."

"Is there someway I can assist in the search for Daniel Jackson?"

"Not unless you know something that happened to Daniel when he was fifteen." Jack slammed the post-it down on the table and then looked up at Teal'c. He stood there impassive, but Jack had known the man for nearly a decade and the slight twitch in his eyebrow alerted him to a sever conflict in one of his closest friends. "T?" The Jaffa bowed his head. "Do you know something that happened to Daniel when he was fifteen?"

"I do not wish to break Daniel Jackson's confidence." said Teal'c gravely, "However I feel that I must tell you of a memory Daniel Jackson has entrusted with me."

"Sit down." Said Jack, a little put out. Daniel had told Teal'c and not him. That hurt and he felt a pang of jealousy for the relationship they must have for Daniel to share something like this. Shaking himself out of his revere, Jack turned to Teal'c who sat uncomfortably in the chair opposite his desk. "Please go on," said Jack trying to sound like he wasn't boiling with envy.

"O'Neill, please understand, Daniel Jackson came to me with the memory because it was returned to him out of context, he wasn't sure what to make of such an event. Do not take this as a slight to your friendship; Daniel Jackson did not keep this from you. He has since told me he had never told anyone else of the events that transpired because he felt it would influence their perception of him and in the intervening years he simply learned to forget it." Jack gave Teal'c a wry smile for reading his mind.

"I guess you got me. Just gimme the bare facts of the event." Teal'c nodded.

"When he was fifteen Daniel Jackson was attacked by a group of older boys he used the term 'gay bashing' though I was not familiar with the term of the time, Daniel Jackson explained it to me and the erroneous assumptions that he himself was a homosexual." Jack was beginning to understand why Daniel kept this a secret, in a place like this even a suspicion of anything queer was jumped on both literally and figuratively.

"But what does a gay bashing as distasteful and awful as it is have to do with sealed files in social services?"

"Daniel Jackson fought his attackers," said Teal'c gravely, "when they began to remove his clothes." Jack closed his eyes. "He wounded one in his genitalia by kicking him; another was knocked out as Daniel Jackson threw his school bag on to his head." Jack looked confused. "He has told me the bag was filled with several large textbooks at the time." Jack nodded. "The other two miscreants ran away." Teal'c said this with distaste and loathing. "Daniel Jackson then hailed a passing car and got medical attention for his two attackers." That gave Jack pause, until he realized that was just so typical of Daniel. "One of the boys was a senator's son."

"Ah," Jack nodded with understanding. "So the senator covered the whole thing up. How badly was Daniel hurt?"

"I am unsure, but he was required to stay in the hospital for some period of time. The senator's son suffered a minor concussion and was sent to military school. Daniel Jackson was given an additional scholarship to the college he was attending in the fall and forced to sign non-disclosure papers."

"You don't happen to know the name of this Senator, do you?" Teal'c shook his head.

"I do not." Jack sighed.

"Shame."

"Indeed."

* * *

Reviews please...D 


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

Daniel laid his head down on the briefing room table he leaned up slightly but addressed his query to the flat surface.

"So let me get this straight. Your Daniel disappeared while he was talking to the council on the planet you found me on, right?" There was general assent from those around the table. "But when you checked the whole council was gone too." Another round of nods the archeologist couldn't see. "But the council came back and said they saw another Daniel, the evil one we assume was Major Dan?"

"That is correct Daniel Jackson." Daniel looked up, he was still tired from his jaunt in the woods and his arm was beginning to throb, but who knew what his doppelganger was getting up to while he was sitting here trying to explain what to him was so painfully obvious.

"So why didn't you have someone talk to them about how to go to where your Daniel was taken." John glanced at Sam who shrugged.

"They had some kind of a mourning ritual going and wouldn't speak to us. We formed a search party to survey the surrounding area, and had just made camp when you came stumbling out of the trees calling me Jack."

"And no one's been back to check out their story especially since you realized I wasn't the Daniel you wanted?" Daniel stared at them dumbfounded.

"What's wrong Danny? We were planning to go back as soon as you got your sea legs back." said Sam. Daniel winced at Sam's use of the name, he barely tolerated it from Jack, uh John or whatever the hell his name was. He took a deep breath and remembered that these people were not his team, not the friends he knew.

"Great," he said flashing Sam his best surface smile, "when do we leave?"

"First thing in the morning," said General Hammond. Daniel frowned and glanced at the clock it was barely noon.

"Why wait?" he asked as everyone got up from the table.

"Because you're dead on your feet Danny," said John helping him up. "We need you a hundred percent when we go and see the council." Daniel felt a hand on his shoulder and turned it was Sam.

"I'll see you in the morning Danny." She said giving him a peck on the cheek and a quick hug. Then she was gone out the door. Daniel stood dumbstruck.

"Earth to Danny?" John waved a hand in front of his face. "Come in Danny?" Daniel cringed and turned away.

"Jack," said Daniel absently moving out of range.

"It's John," he said, "remember Danny?"

"It's Daniel," he said, "no one's really called me Danny since my parents died." He looked up at John, "it just didn't seem appropriate." John broke the stare first looking around the now empty room.

"I'm sorry, it's just you look so much like him."

"I know and you look like Jack did a few years ago. I guess it wasn't just me that gave him all his grey hair." John raised his eyebrows and put a hand up to his head unconsciously touching his salt and peppered hair.

"So your Colonel O'Neill,"

"General." John frowned.

"I'm a general?" Daniel nodded.

"Yeah, for a couple of months now, and Sam's a Lieutenant Colonel." John gave him an 'are you kidding me' look, but Daniel just shrugged. "It was Jack's first act as commander of the base." John's face cracked into a smile.

"You had me going there for a minute, but the commander of the base was too much. There is no way." Daniel just smiled at him and walked out the room. "Dan, Daniel come on, me a General? Really?" he walked out of the room in the corridor to find it empty.

* * *

Major Dan was bored. He thought that messing with General Jack and company would raise his spirits while Daniel got comfortable and complacent, but the whole thing was beginning to bore him. Dan glanced at his watch.

"Time for a little change of venue," he said spinning in his chair to a computer terminal. He typed a few commands in and saved his changes. "I hope you're wearing a warm jacket Dr Jackson."

* * *

'Well,' thought Daniel, 'that's not something that happens everyday;' he had stepped out of the briefing room and into an ice cave.

"Unless you're me." He sighed under his breath. Daniel looked around and thought it bore and unsettling similarity to the cavern they'd found Jack and Sam marooned in after an overload made the wormhole skip to the second gate. Except on his earth this area had been turned into a massive research station and was crawling people.

"Freeze!" the hoarse cry came from behind and above him and Daniel turned to the unmistakable sound of an MP5 begin readied to fire. He looked up to see, who had spoken and saw a very drawn and cold looking Samantha Carter perched on the top of a large ice shelf. "Who are you and how did you get in here?" Daniel raised his arms automatically in response to the weapon pointed at him.

"My name is Daniel and if you don't know me then, the other part will take a while." Sam considered him for a moment before lowering her weapon.

"Stand fast, I'm coming down." She said turning from the edge, moment later she came sliding down side of the shelf her gun still ready. She approached Daniel slowly.

"Can I put my arms down?" he asked his arm was beginning to ache. She paused some feet away, and nodded.

"Tell, me again." She said.

"What?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Dr Daniel Jackson…" he began,

"No!" cried Sam clearly more than a little stressed, "I know who you're supposed to be, but you're not him." Daniel teeth were chattering as he rubbed his hands together for warmth. He was only wearing basic fatigues and the cold was starting to seep through. Sam blinked as Daniel hopped from foot to foot. "But you don't look like a hallucination." She said a little puzzled.

"How can you tell?" he asked blowing on his hands.

"Figments don't feel the cold." She said eyeing him warily. Daniel drew his sleeves over his hands, and crossed his arms to hold in as much heat as possible. "Who are you?" she asked again.

"I'd really love to tell you, but I'm freezing here is there somewhere we can warm up a bit?" Sam regarded the man before her, the first human life she's encountered since being tossed out of the Stargate a month earlier. Maybe he was a figment and she'd just gone nuts, as she suspected was happening anyway. He was clearly unarmed and since she's been considering the merits of her sidearm for the last few days, she didn't see any harm in humoring her delusion.

Sam led Daniel to her camp in what remained of a small temple that she'd uncovered searching for the DHD. He looked around as she lit a few of the torches around the place, they were clean burning and she couldn't figure out what they were made of, but in the end she didn't really care all that much anymore.

"Who else lives here?" asked Daniel absently taking the jacket she offered him with a small 'thanks'.

"No one." said Sam.

"But you have equipment here for two people." Then he saw them, a pair of his glasses perched on what could have been an altar. He picked them up but they were snatched from his fingers quickly.

"Daniel Jackson is dead." She said looking at the broken lenses and then up at him. "He died, when I couldn't get the gate to work." Tears slipped uncaring down her paled cheeks. "I'm sorry, I let you die Daniel." She sobbed.

"Oh, hey" Daniel couldn't stop himself, he wrapped his arms around his friend and hugged her to his chest, she hugged him back after a pause and they stood there holding on to each other. "I'm sorry," he whispered, in Sam's hair. "I'm sorry your Daniel is dead, but he wouldn't blame you. This isn't your fault." She drew back from him then.

"You're not him, are you?" she asked sniffing back the tears, her eyes red and sore. Daniel used his sleeve to wipe her tears.

"No, I'm not him. I'm what you might call an alternative. Did you guys find the quantum mirror yet?" Sam shook her head. "Well..."

Jack cursed under his breath at the report that Carter had just handed him. There were at least three other incidents that could be the one Major Dan was looking for, but O'Neill was damned if he knew which it could be. The deadline was fast approaching and he needed to make a decision soon.

Samantha, for no one would dare call her Sam, sat quietly stoking the fire in what had been her frozen prison for the last month.

"That's really weird," she said eventually, "I mean in your world I'm some top astrophysicist, a colonel and a doctor. Man, I never even finished my doctorate. I'm still a Captain." She said with a bitter smile. "My husband, Jonas is always telling me I should take some time, and finish my dissertation." Daniel failed to hide the surprise that Sam was married and not to Jack either. "Oh," she said, "I take it I'm not married where you're from?"

"Err no; Sam doesn't have the best of luck with men."

"Yeah, I expect she's too busy all that saving the world business." Daniel smiled.

"So you're married to Jonas Hanson then?" he asked. Carter's face dropped.

"Oh, hell no; I drop kicked his ass into the great beyond. My husband is Jonas Quinn." Daniel almost spit the coffee she had given him.

"From Kalowna?" he asked.

"Yeah, you know him in your reality?"

"Yeah, he erm stood in for me on SG-1 while I was on… sabbatical."

"Oh, yeah? He's a good man, I was so sorry when his world was destroyed."

"What?"

"The scientists on his planet were experimenting with some sort of Naquadah derivative."

"Naquadria."

"Yeah, that's it. Anyway they screwed it up and blew the planet and the Gate to pieces. Jonas had been visiting the SGC at the time and when it came time to take him back there was no where to go back to." Daniel was silent for a moment. "I take it that didn't happen in your world?"

"No the erm test was stopped before it went critical. Everyone but one person in the room died of radiation poisoning."

"Wow." said Carter. Daniel smiled at her.

"Yeah."

"So who was it?"

"What?"

"Who didn't die?"

"I would have thought that was obvious, Jonas didn't die. He had some kind of unique radiation immunity. I wasn't around much after that I'm not sure it was ever really explained why he survived and the other scientists died." Daniel shrugged off the thought and pulled a small notepad from his pocket. He scribbled something down and handed Samantha the sheet. "Here." He said.

"What's this?"

"Reset the DHD, use that address and then dial home from there."

"Why?" she asked frowning. "You know why the 'gate won't work, don't you? Tell me." Daniel smiled kindly at her. He knew instinctively that his time here was almost up and he didn't want to leave his friend stranded.

"You're just getting a busy signal." he said, "You need to hang up and try a different number. Tell them to check seismic events for the time you leave, around fifty miles out of Mcmurdo."

"Antarctica?" she questioned looking at the piece of paper and then back up but he was gone.

Major Dan smiled "It think your catching my drift there doctor." He was pleasant the surprised to find his doppelganger saying goodbye at the exact moment he'd decided to mess with him again. "Let's see if we can't bring you completely onto my wavelength." Dan hit a few keys at his terminal and a cold smiled slid across his face.

* * *

Samantha hit the last symbol with a trembling hand and palmed the center of the DHD. With something like elation and mind numbing fear she stepped through the event horizon and emerged on a warm sandy beach. A warm breeze caressed her cheek and she felt an almost hysterical laugh bubble up inside her as she fell back on the sand. After a few minutes she realized it was getting dark and so she summoned up her strength and found the pedestal for this planet's DHD. Hands shaking even more she pushed the long engrained symbols for earth and activated the Stargate. She sent her IDC and closed her eyes before entering the wormhole.

"Welcome back Captain." came a voice from above her eyes fluttered open and she saw the control room and she was standing on the ramp. Jack was walking up to her, patting her on the shoulder and it was suddenly too much for her; her knees buckled and she fell slowed by Jack to the ramp.

"Easy Captain." he said, as he pulled her backpack off. Her vision blurred and for a moment she thought she saw Daniel stood on the ramp he was dressed a cream sweater and he looked happy.

"Thank you." she whispered before the image faded and her eyes closed.

* * *

Comments? Questions? Praise? All are welcome.

Thanks CynicAlb


End file.
